Protective device.



1%. 840,717. PATENTED JAN. 8, 1907.

' M. SCHULTZ.

PROTECTIVE DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 3, 1905.

I ,Fyda J 6 jz zver zior y 7 aq ZZor/wys and a tip or pocket B, attached to the front MACK SCHULTZ, or BUFFALO, NEW roan.

' I PROTEGTIVE names. I i

Specification of Letters Patent. 7

Application filed February 3,1905. SerialNo. 244.059.

Eatented Jan. 6, 1 907.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, MAoK SCHULTZ, a citizen of the United States, residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of NewYork,

have invented new and useful Improvements in Protecting Devices, of which the following is a specification.

ThlS invention relates to a guard or protector to be worn within a shoe and adapted to relieve bunions or swollen joints of the human foot from pressure and irritation.

Theobjects of my invention, among oth-.

ers, are to provide a device of this kind which reliably remains in place on the foot, not only while in use, but in putting on the shoe, and

-which, while being comfortableto the wearer,

does not materially detract from the shapeliness of the shoe.

In the accompanying drawings, a perspective view of a Congress shoe containing the improved protector, the front portion of the shoe-upper being'broken away to illustrate the osition of the protector. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of the rotector. Fig. 3 is a top plan view thereof.

ig. 4 is a fragmentary horizontal section of the same in line 4 4, Fig. 2.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

The rotector comprises a cushioned guard or shie d A, of the roper size and contour to fit the inner side 0' joint of the great toe and the portions of the foot immediately in front and in rear thereof,

end oft e-slneld and adapted to receive the toes, so as to prevent the shield from slipping outof osition.v The front end of the tip is prefera 1 closed, as shown. I

The shield and its tip B may be of any suitable material and construction. The tip is preferably constructed of thin soft leather, so as to occup but little room in the shoe and be comforta le to the wearer, while the shield cons'ists of a strip -of somewhat stiffer and heavier leather curved transversely and hav .ing thinned or tapered edges, so that it readily conforms to the side of the foot. The

. front portion'of the shield is arranged within the tip at one side thereof and stitched or otherwise secured thereto, so as to be retained in the proper'relation to the .bunion by the tip. Although a comparatively short tip, such as shown in the drawings, and fitting only over the toes of the foot is suflicient for this pur pose, it is obvious that the same might be Figure 1 is the foot along the second" made longer or complete to receivethe entire I foot without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. i

The portion of the shield A opposite the bunion or enlarged-toe jointpreferablyhas a cavity or opening a, which receives the salient portion of the joint, and on-its inner side, irnmediately in front and rear of the opening, the shield is lprovided with pads or cushions a. 11F, of woo which rest against the. side 0 the foot on opposite sides of the bunion,-thus protecting and relievin the same from the pressure of the shoe. 0 render the shield as compact as possible consistent with comfort, its cushor other appro riate material,

ionsare thickest in the center, and the rear one, a, gradually diminishes in thickness t0- ward both ends, while the front one, a, is comp arativel thick at its front end and gradually .thinne toward the opening a. The size and contour of the protector and the form, size, and thickness of its cushions are of course varied or graduated to accommodate the shape of the particular foot to be relieved.

'In applying the protector the tip B is shpped upon ,the foot over the stocking and the shoe is ut on over the tip and the attached shie d. As the shield is practically into a1 with the tip, it is roperly positioned on t e foot by the act of s ipping the ti upon the foot, and as the tip cannot slip bac ward or forward on the foot it effectually maintains theshield in place both While in use and in drawing the shoe on. the foot, rendering it unnecessary to hold the shield with the hand in applying the protector.

e advantage of. avoiding displacement of the same. The ti also aids in preserving the shape of the shie d, and for this purpose the parts are stitched together, preferably near the upper and lower edges of the shield, as shown at c.

When the tipv and the shield are property fitted to the foot, the device produces little, if any, noticeable bulge, leaving the shoe practically as neat and shapely as when no such protector is worn, and the shoe, moreover, need be .no larger than would be ordinarily worn without the device.

I claim as my invention 1. A bullion-protector, comprising a tip or pocket closed at its front end and adapted to receive the front portion of the foot, a shield secured Within the tip at one side thereof, and spaced pads attached to the inner side of said shield in front and in rear of the portion thereof opposite: thebunion, substan- 15 tially as set fort 2. A bunion-protector, comprising a tip or pocket closed at its front end and adapted to receive the front portion of the foot, a shield secured within the tip at one side thereof and comprising a tip, a cushioned shield arranged within the tip at one sidc'thereof, and means for uniting said members located near the upper and lower edges of the shield, substantially as set forth.

Witness my hand this 23d day of January,

his MACK SCHULTZ.

mark Witnesses:

SADIE SCHULTZ, C. F. GEYER. 

